Roach Bait fishing — River Stour, Dorset

Set up a simple running leger rig with a 1–1.5 oz inline flat pear lead on a short 6-inch hooklink of 3 lb fluorocarbon, ending in a size 16 hook carrying two red maggots. Cast to the nearside slack — inside bends, behind weed rafts, or where the current creases against slower water — and let the rig settle on the riverbed. Hold the rod in hand or on a rest and watch the rod tip as your bite indicator; roach in cold water will give a gentle pull-round rather than a savage take. Feed a small pouch of loose maggots every few minutes to hold fish in the swim without overfeeding.

• —Mid-December water temperatures on the Dorset Stour will typically be 4–7°C — roach become lethargic and hug slow, deep water close to the bank or behind cover to conserve energy
• —Roach feed best during the warmest window of a winter day, generally late morning to early afternoon when solar gain slightly lifts surface temperature and light levels encourage a brief feeding spell
• —The River Stour has characteristically coloured winter flow with gravelly-to-silty margins and well-oxygenated creases; roach will sit just outside the main push in slower lanes where they can intercept food without expending much energy
• —Maggot is the single most consistent winter roach bait — small, natural-looking, and effective even when fish are barely feeding; red maggots offer a slight colour advantage in coloured winter water
• —A light leger approach outperforms float fishing on a winter river when flow is pushing hard, keeping the bait pinned in the feeding zone without dragging away